A/N; Wow did I get a lot done today, lol. All my homework along with everything else on my to-do list…So I figured I would give you a new chapter. Some of you might be very happy with it…and some might be extremely happy, lol…enough rambling and more reading…

8. Easy smile

Alex was still not feeling much better once he had changed and walked out of the locker room. He had a strong urge to run after Addison, he had a feeling he should…yet he couldn't.

"Alex" George hurried up to him as he reached the main entrance.

"What?" Alex turned around, he didn't mean to sound so harsh but he was just in the mood to talk to anyone.

"The gang is going to Joe's, you wanna join us?" George asked and just now Alex noticed Meredith, Derek, Christina, Izzie and Callie were all standing behind George.

"I don't really feel like it" Alex said and turned to leave.

"Alex you can not let Addison get to you again" Meredith stated rather loudly making him stop with one hand on the door. "Just come out with us and get a beer, nothing more."

"Fine" Alex shrugged and turned to look at her. "But Addison has nothing to do with this" he added. "I am and forever will be over her" with those words he walked out through the door and headed for the bar.

--

The soft sound of a lonely violin was the first thing that hit her when she released her hands from her ears. She had felt the floor move as he had passed her and she knew the front door had closed several minutes before – yet she did not move.

She slowly scrambled to her feet in the darkness and opened the door. The hallway outside was empty and the music grew louder as she slowly walked towards the master bedroom. Her stuffed bear was tucked close to her chest as to protect her from whatever sight she might see inside.

She reached the door only finding it half closed. The music from inside grew louder and she pushed the door open, wincing by the sight that hit her. "Mommy…" she took a few steps into the room towards the figure hunched down on the floor.

Addison looked up and after a few blinks she could see Lily, if so rather blurry. "Are you okay?" she asked and forced her body up in a sitting position, leaning against the side of the bed.

"Yes" Lily nodded and swallowed hard to make the tears go back down into her body.

"Good" Addison blinked a few times, fighting off the tiredness. "That's…good" her head slowly tipped to the side and her body fell to the floor.

"Mommy!" Lily hurried up and started to shake Addison but got no response. "Mommy please wake up!" by now the tears were falling freely.

She looked around the room trying to figure out what to do. She knew the answer was there, her mommy had gone over it with her when she was younger. But the stress and fear building up made it hard to think. But her eyes landed on the phone – she knew what she had to do…

--

"Hit me" Christina pushed the empty glass towards Joe.

"You sure?" Meredith asked, her tone was not surprised though, more like amused.

"Yes I am sure" Christina shot back. She accepted the drink Joe poured her and took a sip.

"So what do you think is up with him?" Meredith asked.

"With who?" Derek asked and looked in the same direction as her spotting Alex. "I have no idea."

"He's Alex, no one ever knows what goes on in that thick head of his" Christina muttered.

"He has been all weird since Addison came back" Meredith said. "I just can't help but have this feeling."

"I am sure that if Alex and Addison have some issues to go through they can do so on their own" Derek answered simply.

"Do you have to be so good all the time?" Christina looked up from her drink and starred him down. "We go here to drink. To get drunk and to not be all optimistic."

"Sorry" Derek laughed slightly and went back to his beer.

Over on the other side of the room a man entered. He looked around before he walked over to the bar. He waved up the bartender. "A shot of vodka please."

The sound of the voice made Alex's head swing around. "What are you doing here?" he gave the man a look that he hoped showed as much anger as he could hold.

"I came for a drink" Ben stated.

"So where is your wife?" it was a simple question but that quick glimmer in Ben's eyes made Alex realize the answer was not as simple.

"Can I just get my drink alone please" Ben gave Alex a quick look and the turned to grab his drink.

"No" Alex moved quickly, getting down from his chair and using the full force of his body to slam his fist into Ben's face.

"Alex!" Izzie cried and got off her chair and the others hurried over to him.

"What are you doing?" Derek stepped up just in time to catch Alex before he had a time to take a second swing.

"What, you can only beat other people up?" Alex shot Ben a look as he brushed the blood away from his face. "You can't handle being on the other side of the fight?"

"Alex!" Derek held him back.

"Let go of me" Alex squirmed to get out of Derek's grip but it was no use.

"I am sorry" Izzie took a better look at Ben's broken nose. "My friend must have gone crazy or something" she gave him a smile before she turned her head and gave Alex a look of pure disgust.

"Where is she?" Alex starred into Ben's eyes.

"Like I would tell you" Ben laughed, drowned down his drink and placed the money on the bar. "Now if you excuse me I should get back to my family…" he gave Alex a smile before he walked out of the bar.

Only once the door closed did Derek let go of Alex again. Alex just turned to stare at his friends as they gave him odd looks.

"Why did you just do that?" Izzie asked.

"I had my reasons" Alex stated. He reached out and grabbed his jacked from the chair.

"You just beat up a guy" Derek did not sound happy. "You could get kicked out of the program for this."

"Yeah and yet it doesn't feel too bad" Alex replied before he turned around and headed out of the bar…

--

"No…" he heard the distant cry and hurried across the street just in time to see the gurney being pulled out from the ambulance.

The small girl was crying desperately and wouldn't let go of the side of the gurney no matter how much the paramedics tried to sooth her.

"Lily" Alex hurried up but stopped, frozen as he saw the woman on the gurney. The long locks of red was messy and her face was covered in bruises and slam drips of blood. "Addison…" he winced just looking at her.

"Alex" Lily let go of the gurney and grabbed his hand, pulling him down to her level. "You didn't save her…" the four year old had a strange coldness in her voice and her eyes were crystal clear as she looked at him. "You broke your promise…"

"Lily" Alex said but the girl just turned around and followed as a doctor wheeled her mommy into the hospital.

He stood there for a long time. He didn't move or do anything for several minutes. But when he did start to move he moved fast, he got past the nurses, the patients, he even pushed his way into an already crowded elevator. By the time he reached the right floor he stopped the first free nurse but it was no use. Addison had been taken to surgery already…

"Alex what are you doing here?" Callie looked up in surprise to see him there. "I thought you would have gone home after what happened at Joe's."

"I made a promise" Alex said just as he spotted Lily sitting in the waiting area. She was dangling her legs back and forth from the too big chair, the teddy bear still in her lap and she was starring straight forward without really seeing anything.

"You know you can't work after you have been drinking, right?" Callie asked.

"I'm not here in work" Alex said and moved past her to get to Lily.

"Sure" Callie said mostly to herself as she looked down at the chart the nurse gave her. Her heart did a double take as she saw the name…never had she thought when she got paged that this would be her case…

--

Alex sat down next to Lily but she didn't do anything to indicate that she knew he was there.

"I tried" Alex said, knowing she was listening. "I talked to her but she wouldn't listen. I thought I had more time, I thought I could save her if I got more time…I just needed time…" he could feel his eyes going glossy and he slid his face down in his hands.

Her voice was quiet and it was obvious she had been crying a lot but she still had a strength to it that made her sound so much older then her four years. "We never had time…we knew we didn't have time…you gave me hope…I should have listened to mommy when she said hope was for other people…"

--

Easy smile, but no fun. Sweet music for no one